MAYOR MIKE'S AWOL APOLOGY (disrespectful letters to an American GI stationed in Korea)

http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/editorial/41054.htm ^ | February 23, 2005 | editorial

[Former Military Chick]

February 23, 2005 -- Mayor Mike says one reason many young Americans are deployed in harm's way overseas is to defend the right of junior high school pupils in Brooklyn to act like jerks. But who said otherwise?

Nobody ever claimed that Alex Kunhardt's sixth-grade class at JHS 51 in Park Slope didn't have the right to pen politically charged, fundamentally disrespectful letters to an American GI stationed in Korea — or that Kunhardt himself didn't have the right to drop them in the mail (after maybe having coached the authors just a little bit?).

The issue is not rights, but judgment — something that Kunhardt, at least, seems to have lacked in abundance.

The letters were received by Army Pfc. Rob Jacobs, who's stationed just south of the Korean peninsula's demilitarized zone. To say that he was offended would be to understate matters.

And rightly so.

The Post's David Andreatta reports that one of Kunhardt's little geniuses wrote that she believes Jacobs "is being forced to kill innocent people" — then demanded that he name an Iraqi terrorist: "I know I can't," she wrote.

Of course not. She's a pupil in a New York City public school; who would expect her to know actual facts? (Memo to Alex Kunhardt: Have the young lady Google "Abu Musab al-Zarqawi" — the Egyptian-born al Qaeda thug running amok in Iraq.)

To his credit, Kunhardt is taking the blame: "I deeply regret that any letters from my class offended anyone in our military," he said late yesterday. "The responsibility for this action is mine alone, and I apologize."

So far, so good.

Earlier, however, Mayor Bloomberg entered the fray — sort of.

"Well, look," he said. "We have freedom of speech and you certainly cannot go around censoring what people want to write."

[Former Military Chick]

It is about judgement. Frankly one can write anything they want but come on these guys are away from home, serving this country to ensure all those anti war folks can continue to spew their hate for this war.

To coach kids is beyond bad judgement it was wrong.

I can only hope the soldiers will receive and read knowing of the background of these letters and that it is not the over all feeling of the rest of the country,

[Texas_Jarhead]

That whole dang situation is so infuriating. I agree with the soldier's father who opined that such letters sent to troops were dang close to giving aid and comfort to the enemy. For surely any undermining of troop morale benefits the enemy.

[Former Military Chick]

Looks like their readers of the Post are a bit upset.

PARK SLOPE'S POISON-PEN PS

I'm appalled by the ungrateful and insensitive Park Slope public-school students who wrote to our soldiers accusing them of destroying mosques and killing civilians ("Writing a Wrong," Feb. 22).

These men and women left behind families and friends to try to make the world a safer place for people like these kids, not knowing if they will ever make it home.

While these kids are at home playing Playstation 2 and Game Boy, and their mommies and daddies are attending to every little whine, soldiers are fighting and dying.

Maybe these kids should try taking the time to say a little prayer for our soldiers.

If they feel the need to vent their junior-high knowledge concerning warfare, they should send their letters to the politicians in Washington, D.C.

But they shouldn't dare be so ungrateful to the people who are risking their lives so that Americans can enjoy freedom.

And each night when they kiss their parents good night, they should think about all the children that no longer have that luxury.
Barbara Sanseverino
Brooklyn

[clee1]

This whole episode frankly astounds me.

We spend BILLIONS of taxpayer dollar on public education in this country, yet the results we obtain rank amoung the worst in the industrialized world. This story illustrates the "why" of it clearly.

The NEA-dominated education establishment is too busy teaching kids how to apply condoms, celebrate diversity and homosexuality, and using their students as pawns in a hateful, politically motivated game of "Gotcha" to do such mudane things as actually teaching our kids valuable and important things.

If I were a parent of one of these kids, (not gonna happen; I'd NEVER put my kids in a NYC publik screwl) the teacher in question would be beaten to within an inch of its worthless life.

[DTogo]

There's a famous addage that should have been applied by the teacher to the class: if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

Perhaps the best solution would be for RINO Bloomberg to (out of his own wallet) invite this soldier and some others into the school to offer a presentation on what they do and why it's important. And let the kids ask questions and hear the truth instead of the BS their Blue-State parents and teachers feed them.

Maybe invite a few NYTimes reporters and columnists for a re-education as well.

[Former Military Chick]

I recall him mentioning that while being interviewed earlier on one of the networks and I thought he made a compelling case for the aid and comfort to the enemy.

Sadly it is the 6th graders that are the losers for being coached to do something filled with ill will to our troops.

They not have all wrote such letters but one is enough and frankly there should not have been one.

Check out comment 3 on this thread. It appears readers are not to happy with this incident as well.

Excellent comment thank you.

[ETERNAL WARMING]

Is Kunhardt still working? If so, apology not accepted. He needs firing. He's brainwashing impressionable kids.

[Former Military Chick]

That is an excellent idea but I call and raise you one. Lets demand that the parents also be required to attend. I think that would be a very good lesson for them as well.

[DTogo]

I'll call and raise you one more: Parents and other adults must STFU before, during, and after the presentation. Only kids may speak.

[Former Military Chick]

Ping! Along with comment 3 here are 2 letters to the editor:

As a retired teacher, I'm not surprised to see that our children are being indoctrinated with anti-American lies by so-called educators.

The principal calls the offending mail "inappropriate."

That's an understatement.
Diane Knorr
The Bronx

***** Please tell Pfc. Rob Jacobs not to be too upset about the letters he received from the Park Slope sixth-graders.

These are, after all, New York City schoolchildren being taught by New York City public-school teachers.

In other words, they are uneducated.
Rocky Tortorella
Cortlandt Manor

[Former Military Chick]

Indeed you did and I will quietly let you take the winnings on this.

Excellent idea. Parents cannot talk. I just had to chuckle over that, thank you.

[DTogo]

Parents cannot talk.

I prefer the term I used. ;)

[Awestruck]

and all my friends who have children in public schools keep telling me how non-harmful they are... whatever..

[Pajamajan]

This is by far the most despicable, disgusting, lowest, thing I have ever read. Of all the rotten things scumbag liberals have done, this takes the cake. The useless cockroach of a "teacher" should be given a one way ticket to the Socialist paradise of its choice.

I don't want to hear all the "Free Speech" yadda yadda yadda.

If you liberals are so unhappy here-GET OUT!!!

There are plenty of places for you to live under Socialism. Canada is close by. Don't wait for your papers or government approval- just go. It's easy to be an illegal alien in Canada. They won't throw you out, just go. Leave now.

[Former Military Chick]

They are talking about this on Fox RIGHT NOW.

[Former Military Chick]

I had heard that earlier that kids get their NEWS from RAP music. When did it go down that road.

I have never thought of music as news. Propaganda but never news.

It is the parents I tell you.

Oh now it is red state verses blue states.

[cleo1939]

I don't know how to respond to this garbage.

I am not talking about the kids.

To me the misuse of authority is akin to a teacher having
sex with their students. They have a position of trust and
this teacher didn't misuse it or abuse it he raped the
students minds and should be subject to the same laws of
the plain ordinary rapist.

Freedom of speech Ok! Freedom for one to form their own
thoughts is what this is about. When one implants ideas
into the mind of someone who is not adult enough to make
their own discussion is a criminal misuse of authority.

As in statutory rape, these children may have gone along
with it while trusting their teacher.

Somewhere there is a law against what happened here and we
should find it and prosecute it to the fullest extent.

Forget Bloomberg, he is a pol. and will do what ever he
thinks will cause him the least trouble.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Some don't realize that thanks to portable and cheaper satellite technology, CNN is available most places where we have troops. If they feel the need for anti American propaganda, our soldiers can easily go there if they want. That's one of the things where there's no shortage.

[AggieCPA]

This is what pi**es me off so much I can't stand it. These kids are probably getting a big dose of liberal propaganda and then their stinkin "educator" is feeding them at school.

I can picture the smarmy teacher talking about the war with all feigned sincerity and feeding them anti-War, anti-American propaganda. "Oh, kids, I'm so upset today - another 50 innocent Iraqis were killed today because of our soldiers."

"All they want is for us to leave their country and we won't do it - we've destroyed their homes, they barely have electricity and there are thousands of parents in a state of shock because our soldiers killed their innocent children, many just your age."

I can just see those damn liberals spewing this crap and I want to wring their scrawny necks.

[iopscusa]

Mayor Bloomberg opens his Rino/Idiot mouth and he once again shows he has no respect for anyone. He is by far the biggest hippocrit in NYC...and that is a huge population of major hippocrits.